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// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR GFDL-1.3-no-invariants-only

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/*!
    \page creator-analyze-mode.html
    \previouspage creator-how-tos.html
    \nextpage creator-configuring-projects.html

    \title Analyzing code

    \quotation
    \l {Analyze}{How to: Analyze}
    \endquotation

    Use integrated code analysis tools to detect memory leaks, profile
    function execution, analyze CPU use, and eliminate unnecessary
    complexity of code. Other integrated tools provide code coverage and
    visualize trace events.

    To use a code analysis tool, select it in the \uicontrol Analyze menu or
    in the pull-down menu of the
    \inlineimage {icons/qtcreator-debug-button.png} {Start Debugging of Startup Project}
    (\uicontrol {Start Debugging of Startup Project}) button.
    In the \uicontrol Debug mode, switch between tools by selecting them in the
    menu on the debugger toolbar.

    \image {qtcreator-performance-analyzer-toolbar.webp} {Performance Analyzer in Debug mode}

    Drag the views in the \uicontrol Debug mode to new
    positions on the screen. The size and position of views are saved for future
    sessions. Select \uicontrol View > \uicontrol Views >
    \uicontrol {Reset to Default Layout} to reset the views to their original
    sizes and positions.

    \section1 Improving QML performance

    \QC comes with the \l{Profiling QML applications}{QML Profiler} for
    inspecting binding evaluations and signal handling when running QML code.
    This is useful for identifying potential bottlenecks, especially in the
    evaluation of bindings.

    \section1 Finding issues in QML code

    Run \l{JavaScript and QML Checks}{static checks} on the QML and JavaScript
    code in your project to find common problems, similarly to using
    \l{JSLint}.

    \section1 Finding issues in C++ code with Clang tools

    \QC comes with the following Clang tools for finding problems in C, C++, and
    Objective-C source code by using static analysis:

    \list
        \li \l{Clang-Tidy}, which
            has diagnostics and fixes for typical programming errors,
            such as style violations or interface misuse.
        \li \l{Clazy project homepage}{Clazy}, which
            helps Clang understand Qt semantics. It displays Qt-related compiler
            warnings, ranging from unnecessary memory allocation to misuse of
            API and has refactoring actions for fixing some of the issues.
    \endlist

    \section1 Finding issues in C++ code with Cppcheck

    Install the \l{Cppcheck} static analysis
    tool to detect undefined behavior and dangerous coding constructs in
    C++ code. Cppcheck analyzes the source code without actually running the
    application.

    \section1 Checking code coverage

    Install the \l{Coco Manual}{Coco} code coverage toolchain for
    Tcl, QML, C# and C/C++ programs on \macOS, Linux, or Windows to analyze the
    way an application runs as part of a test suite, for example. Use the
    results to make the tests more efficient and complete.

    You can:

    \list
        \li Find untested code sections.
        \li Find redundant tests which can then be eliminated. Coco can
            identify portions of the source code that are covered by a test. It
            can detect whether a new test covers lines in the source code that
            the existing tests do not cover.
        \li Find dead code by displaying code that is never executed.
        \li Calculate the optimum test execution order so as to maximize
            test coverage for each run. This is particularly useful for manual
            testing.
        \li Analyze two separate versions of an application and compare the
            differences. This makes it possible to see which tests are affected
            by source code modifications and also to get some measure of the
            test coverage of a patch or hot fix.
        \li Measure the execution time of applications and tests.
    \endlist

    \section1 Preventing code erosion

    Install \l{Axivion Suite}
    to protect software from erosion. With static code analysis,
    architecture analysis, and code-smells-detection, you can:

    \list
        \li Check the source code for potential runtime errors.
        \li Use metrics to generate quantitative information about the
            internal quality of the source code.
        \li Run style checks to achieve compliance with coding guidelines.
        \li Detect both duplicates and similar pieces of code in the source code.
        \li Recognize cyclical dependencies at different levels.
        \li Detect unreachable code.
    \endlist

    \section1 Profiling with Valgrind tools

    Install Memcheck and Callgrind from \l{Valgrind's Tool Suite} to detect
    memory leaks and profile function execution.

    You can run the Valgrind tools either \e locally on the development host or
    \e remotely on another host. You can use them to analyze both applications
    for which you set up a project in \QC and applications for which you do not
    have a project.

    Valgrind tools are supported locally only on Linux and \macos. However,
    according to Valgrind.org, support on \macos 10.8 and 10.9 is experimental and
    mostly broken. You can run the tools on a remote Linux machine or device
    from any development host.

    To run the Valgrind tools to analyze an application for which you have a
    project, open the project in \QC and select the kit to run the project. The
    kit specifies whether the Valgrind tools are run locally or remotely.

    For more information about analyzing applications for which you do not have
    a project, see \l{Run Valgrind tools on external applications}.

    To set preferences for the Valgrind tools, select \preferences >
    \uicontrol Analyzer > \uicontrol Valgrind. You can override the general
    settings for each project in the \uicontrol {Run Settings} for the project.

    \section1 Detecting memory leaks with Heob

    On Windows, install the \l{Heob sources}{Heob}
    heap observer to detect buffer overruns and memory leaks.

    \section1 Analyzing CPU usage

    On Linux, use Perf to analyze the CPU and memory usage of an application
    on Linux desktop and embedded devices.

    \l{Performance Analyzer} uses the Perf tool bundled with the Linux kernel to
    take periodic snapshots of the call chain of an application and visualizes
    them in a timeline view or as a flame graph.

    \section1 Visualizing Chrome trace events

    Use the \l{Chrome Trace Format Visualizer} to view Chrome trace events. This
    is especially useful when viewing large trace files that are difficult to
    visualize using the built-in trace-viewer (\c{chrome://tracing}).

    \sa {Activate kits for a project}, {Analyze}{How to: Analyze}, {Analyzers}
*/
